Swiss and Austrian leaders discuss bilateral relations and EU
Swiss President Alain Berset and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz held an official meeting in Bern on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, among other topics. Both leaders underlined the excellent collaboration between the two countries.
One key outcome was the exchange of ratification instruments of the bilateral airspace security agreement signed by the two countries in Salzburg in September 2017. The agreement governs cooperation in cross-border airspace security against non-military air threats, explained the Federal Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in a statementExternal link.
The agreement is expected to help Swiss and Austrian pilots work better together, particularly in the event of an air threat at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
+ How the Swiss army helps to secure the airspace in Davos
‘Progress’ on EU discussions
The two leaders also touched on negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union (EU), of which Vienna holds the rotating presidency until the end of the year. Kurz reiterated his country’s support of Switzerland. “We naturally have an interest, as a neighbouring country and EU member state, to have good relations with Switzerland,” he told the press.
According to him, the negotiations between Bern and Brussels have made “great progress” at the technical level and a text now exists that constitutes a “good foundation”.
The Swiss authorities must proceed with a “political assessment” of the situation, added Mr. Kurz, highlighting that “Switzerland is a democratic country where there are a lot of discussions, but where good decisions are made in the end.”
Migration was also discussed: Austria recently announced that it planned not to sign the UN Global Compact on Migration, which the Swiss government has agreed to support despite criticism from parliament.
Other topics discussed include the future of the multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran and relations with Russia.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.